CHINA:Non-governmental groups were barely tolerated in China up to now, writes Clifford Coonanin Beijing
THE CHINESE Communist Party has congratulated itself on its rapid response to the devastating earthquake in Sichuan as a sign of its deep commitment to the Chinese people, but the ruling party also had words of praise for the contribution of NGOs in the relief effort.
The communists, who rule China as a one-party state, scored a major propaganda coup through their swift response to the 7.9-magnitude quake, which struck Sichuan on May 12th. They mobilised 130,000 People's Liberation Army soldiers, 145,000 volunteers and 45,000 medical workers for rescue and relief work.
The earthquake has killed up to 80,000 people and left five million homeless
A key figure was premier Wen Jiabao, who was on the scene within hours and has worked tirelessly in a hands-on way to help with the relief effort in an approach that must be unique for a modern political leader.
Crucially, the Communist Party also allowed foreign non-governmental organisations to take part in the relief effort, in stark contrast to cyclone-hit Burma, where the military junta was slow to allow international relief to enter the country and deal with hundreds of thousands of casualties there.
"Facts have proved that leading officials at all levels have organised rescue and relief work in the worst-hit areas," said Ouyang Song, deputy head of the Organisation Department of the Communist Party's Central Committee.
Mr Ouyang said the party supported and encouraged the healthy development of volunteer organisations as part of the development of society.
This is significant because NGOs are generally barely tolerated in China, where all organisations are theoretically operating under the control of the Communist Party.
While China has opened up significantly in recent years, allowing NGOs to operate freely has proven a challenge for the leadership.
The earthquake relief programme has seen a motley crew of volunteer medical workers, Buddhist monks and foreign aid organisations helping those in need.
They have often acted independently, taking advantage of the confusion since the earthquake to gain access.
And they will probably remain a necessary evil for the time to come, because the scale of providing relief and reconstruction in Sichuan is so immense, taking up to three years.
But Mr Ouyang's comments were an official recognition that China was prepared to allow foreign aid in the country once it was given in the proper context.
"The role of the volunteers does not conflict with the role of the primary party organisation. It shows that orderly and good participation will not reduce or weaken the leading role of the party," said Mr Ouyang.
Party members have contributed 1.7 billion yuan (€150 million) to the reconstruction effort through voluntary additional membership fees, Mr Ouyang said. That is an average of 24 yuan (€2.2) from each of the 73 million party members.
Many have contrasted the Communist Party of 2008 with that of 1976, when the last major earthquake struck in Tangshan near Beijing.
The official death toll for that quake - 240,000 people - only emerged two months later, although many believe the figure was much higher.
At the time the party was mourning premier Zhou Enlai, who died a few months previously, and was in a period of transition which culminated in the death of Chairman Mao Zedong on September 9th, and information was suppressed.
This time around, reporting has been open and frank.